Don't get me wrong, narrative games can be great. I'm a sucker for big-budget, cut-scene-heavy hand-holders such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and God of War. I've lost hundreds of hours to the masterful adventure games of Wadjet Eye, and have thrived and survived in Larian's most-acclaimed story-driven outings, not least Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2. But, for me, there's something about the Metroidvania genre that just screams: less is more.
I didn't realize I felt this way until recently. The Metroidvania space is in the throes of a renaissance of sorts at the moment, with so many top games having launched in the last year alone, with many more perched on the horizon. From The Last Case of Benedict Fox to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Tales of Kenzera: Zau, if you're into platformers gated by incrementally-accrued superpowers, you've likely been having a ball over the last 12 months or so. I know I have, with Blasphemous 2 and Ultros not only among my favorite Metroidvania games – but up there with my favorite video games of all time.
